The build up to A-Level Results Day is a very stressful period and it is extremely important to be prepared.
PREPARATIONÂ
Research alternative courses and universities and list their details/ telephone numbers. Universities will list available courses before Results Day, so there’s no harm in doing some research beforehand. Know what subjects you’re looking for, and make sure you have thought about why you want to study them.
Contact details for your firm and insurance university
Pen and Paper,
Mobile Phone & Charger
A list of any questions you have about the university or the course,
Exam certificates on hand (universities may ask you to send them scanned copies of relevant qualification certificates)
Have some breakfast
CHECK UCAS TRACK
Hopefully you’ll get the exam grades you need, but if you just miss out, the university or college might accept you anyway.
You might get a place on either your firm or insurance choice, depending how well your exams go.
You might be offered an alternative by the university/college – a ‘changed course offer’ (which you’ll need to accept or decline).
You might not get a place, but you can search through our Clearing service to see what courses still have vacancies.
If no decisions are showing, your application might still be under consideration by your university, even if you have missed your grades, give your universities or colleges a call to find out more.
CLEARING
Whether you missed your grades and as a result did not receive any offers or maybe you rejected all your offers; UCAS Clearing allows you to apply to universities with places on courses still available. If you have decided to reject your offer, request for the university to release you into clearing, once your Track status says ‘clearing has started’ or ‘you are in clearing’ you are eligible to go through clearing. Before rejecting your offer please consult with your teachers, parents or advisers.
Use the UCAS website to search for courses you are interested in, then contact the university directly and make sure you have your Personal ID number as well as your Clearing Number on hand so they can access your application (also make a note of your GCSE and A Level grads prior as you may forget them in the heat of the moment).
The phone call may be treated as a mini-interview and they may ask questions such as why you are suitable for the course, why you are interested in the course and what you would bring to the university. Also feel free to ask questions about the university and the course.
If they are happy with your application, the university may give you a verbal offer, once you have received the offer you can log onto track and add the choice through clearing. This verbal offer usually stands for 24 hours, this gives you time to consider other options afterwards as it is extremely important that you don’t rush into a decision and choose a course in a university that is right for you and that you are happy with.
Have a support system (e.g parents, friends and siblings), it is a stressful time
Make notes during the conversations, you may speak to several universities in one day
Be prepared, as mentioned earlier have everything you need on hand
ADJUSTMENTÂ
Did you perform better than expected and perhaps want to reconsider your options and enrol on a better course at a higher ranked university? Similar to UCAS Clearing, UCAS Adjustment allows you to apply to universities with places on courses still available and aims to give students the chance to enhance their university experience, not hinder it. Adjustment is not compulsory, if you have exceeded your expectations and are happy with your original offer that’s fine.
Although Adjustment lasts from Results Day until the 31st of August, you are only given five days to find an alternative course or university from the time you register in Track, so the quicker you register, the more likely you are to secure a place at a university or on a course that you want. Again talk to an adviser at your school, college, centre or careers office or your parents so you can decide if Adjustment is a good choice.
To register for adjustment you must have met and exceeded the conditions of your initial firm offer and click ‘Register for Adjustment’. If you don’t contact any other university about applying through adjustment your initial firm offer will remain. There is no list to indicate vacancies in any universities for Adjustment so you have to search courses and contact the admissions offices at the university to ask about any vacancies.
Mention that you are applying through adjustment and are just gathering information, have your Personal ID on hand and make sure you don’t agree to a verbal offer until you are entirely sure you want it. Beware that once your new university has put the offer into Track, your original firm choice will be rejected automatically; there’s no going back, so be sure to have a think before you commit to anything.
DEFERRING YOUR COURSE
If you wish to defer your offer until the next year after receiving your grades, be sure to call the university and ask if this option is possible, be aware that not all universities will agree. Make sure you have a good reason for your decision as you may be asked about it and explain your intentions for your gap year. Simply enquiring does not affect you confirmed offer.
GAP YEAR
Taking a Gap Year is an excellent opportunity for to learn and gain invaluable skills and experiences as well as giving you time to reflect on what you’d like to do next and possibly travel or enhance your CV. You may decide to volunteer, travel, work full time, take up part-time courses or gain work experience related to your field of study.
Planning your gap year is very important as time can go really fast and you do not want to waste your break from full-time studying, so decide why you want to take a gap year and what you specifically want to achieve and devise how you will go about achieving these goals. Also consider how much time you will be away, how you will fund your gap year ideas and what is available. Be sure to make use of online resources and get advice, there’s a lot of help out there!
DON’T WANT TO ACCEPT YOUR OFFER?
You can either decide to be released into Clearing or register for Adjustment.
If university isn’t for you anymore you can decide to apply for an apprenticeship
You may decide to retake you’re A-Levels and reapply for next year’s entry
Forget about University for the moment and take a Gap Year
DID YOU NARROWLY MISS YOUR GRADES?Â
Contact your university, they may still accept you or offer you an alternative course which you must choose to accept or decline. You can also choose to get a Remark; make sure you inform the university that you are getting a Remark and then apply for a Priority Re-mark as this is the only way it will come in time to meet the conditions of your offer by August the 31st.
Melanin Medics wish you the best of luck on Results Day and hopefully all your hard-work will pay off. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to Contact Us,we’re happy to help.